Gala
by sad-goomy
Summary: Moon still isn't sure how she got roped into the Aether charity gala, but at least her date isn't half bad. / In which Gladion needs a date and Lillie has a hidden agenda.
1. part one

**A/N:** Wowza, a two-shot. For those curious, the gang is slightly older here, being around 16, with Gladion the oldest at 17. They grow up so fast.

* * *

In helping Professor Burnet and Kukui with their fieldwork, Moon has witnessed some brutal battles between wild Pokemon.

All of them look like child's play compared to the battle of wills happening between Gladion and Lillie.

"I'm not going," he snaps.

"It's not optional," she counters.

Moon looks between the two, feeling more than a little uncomfortable as she's caught in the middle of the table. When Lillie had texted her about meeting up for lunch with Gladion, it hadn't sounded like she meant to start an all-out war. Within minutes of them sitting at their table, however, Lillie sprang into attack mode, clearly exasperated with her older brother, and Gladion put up an iron defense, clearly unwilling to yield to his younger sister.

The waiter had looked more than a little scared to approach their table, and Moon gave him a sheepish grin as she told him, "We're going to need a few minutes."

Gladion rolls his eyes, muttering, "You know I hate these charity galas, and it's never been a problem that I don't go."

"But you're the president! If you never show your face at the galas, we lose credibility." Lillie tugs at the Alola champion's sleeve, pouting as she says, "Moon, I need you to talk reason into him."

"Why me, exactly?" the dark-haired girls asks with a raised brow. _I just wanted to eat lunch, not join the debate team_ , she adds in her mind, trying to ignore her stomach growling.

The blonde girl sighs, explaining, "You're probably the person Gladion most respects."

The young man's cheeks take on a shade of pink as he warns, "Lillie –"

"Oh don't pretend it's not true," she argues, and Moon has to fight to keep a smile from growing on her face. Lillie picks up her menu, adding with angry resolution, "And I'm done speaking to you until you agree to go. Good luck, Moon."

Gladion looks over at the region's Champion, who looks back at him with a blank stare, clearly still caught off guard by the sudden demand. She sighs, placing her elbows on the table and imploring him with her eyes as she mumbles, "She has a point, you know; you're the president, it's one of your obligations."

He knows both girls have a point, but he crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. "I know, and I've tried my best to be the 'face of the foundation' as Lillie puts it, but I can't handle an entire night's worth of idle small talk and pretending to be an extrovert."

"But Lillie's supposed to?" Moon counters. Gladion bites his tongue, because they both know she's won just by reminding him of the burden it places on his younger sister. Her gray eyes grow softer as she asks, "What would make it easier for you?"

Suddenly he refuses to look at her, picking up his menu and deciding it's the most interesting thing to read. His hands are shaking ever so slightly, and he mumbles something under his breath. Moon tilts her head, prodding, "What?"

"I said _you_ would make it easier," he snaps, lowering the menu from his face and looking nothing short of stand-offish. Lillie conceals a knowing smile by hiding her face behind her own menu, as Moon blinks in surprise. Gladion elaborates with a roll of his eyes, "I'm supposed to have a date, and I figure you'll be the least annoying. I also know for a fact that people actually like you, so I'm sure that'll help when I start shutting down for the night and can't handle any more schmoozing."

"Now that's a good idea," Lillie coos, closing her menu and giving Moon a smile as she adds, "Oh, and I can help you find a dress, of course, and brush up on your dancing, and we might even have time for a quick lesson in etiquette!"

Gladion smirks as Moon's head spins from the realization that she's been dragged into the mess herself, but before she can open her mouth to argue, the waiter has returned, looking less frightened as he asks them, "Are you three ready?"

Moon looks up at him, her eyes still wide in shock. "No. No, I'm really not."

* * *

She's out of her element immediately, and Hau isn't helping.

"Seriously? You won't let me challenge you because you're too busy _waltzing_?"

Moon gives the boy a deadpan glare as she states in a perfect monotone, "I'm not going to battle you because you challenged me three days ago and had your ass handed to you."

Lillie frowns, shutting off the music as she crosses the Champion's room to address Hau. "She's attending the Aether Foundation charity gala, and considering the state of her dancing, she needs as little distraction as possible."

"Gee thanks Lillie."

Hau cracks a grin, laughing, "Aw, lighten up! Tell you what, I'll be totally silent. I just wanna watch Moon trip over her feet."

The Aether Foundation's head of PR crunches her nose in thought, giving the energetic young man a once-over before nodding. "Go sit, and please don't distract us."

"Promise," he tells her, all too eager to take a seat in the Champion's throne with a brilliant smile.

Moon frowns. "Why don't I get a say in this?"

"He's promised to behave," Lillie tells her, walking back to the music player she's set up and restarting the classical song from the beginning. She walks back to Moon, explaining, "You'll have to do this in front of a crowd in two days, so it will help to have a smaller audience now as you practice."

"Hau counts as at least twenty people," she counters, but takes her position, allowing Lillie to lead as they begin to slowly spin and twirl across the floor.

Moon gains confidence in her movements, and even begins to look up at Lillie rather than down at her feet. The blonde young woman smiles, encouraging the Alola Champion as they pick up speed. However, once Moon steps out for a twirl, she feels her feet trip up and she goes tumbling to the ground with a yelp, managing to take Lillie down with her and the two ending up in a heap of tangled limbs on the floor.

They hear howling laughter from the side, and Moon groans when she sees that Hau has just finished taking a video of the incident, and types into his phone before looking over at the two as he wipes the remnants of his laughing tears from his eyes. "I think you're ready," he jokes.

Lillie gives her friend an encouraging smile as they both stand, dusting themselves off. Moon, however, feels her heart growing heavier by the second, and the weight of everything she's failed to learn piles up on her shoulders. She looks over at Hau and asks with a frown, "Who did you send that to?"

"Just Gladion." His phone emits a beep and he grins, opening up a message. "Speak of the devil." He reads over it and lets out a chuckle, looking over at the two young women and announcing, "He says that if you dance like that at the gala he might get to leave early from a broken leg."

Moon starts thinking that maybe faking her death to try and get out of this isn't such a bad idea after all.

* * *

"Don't tell me you're actually upset about all of this."

Moon looks over to the doorway of her porch where Gladion stands with a raised brow and his hands on his hips. She rests her chin on her drawn up knees, her arms holding them close to her chest as she mutters, "This is all your fault, you know."

He rolls his eyes, but admits all the same, "I realize that. Glad to see you're handling it well."

"I take it Lillie told you about my incompetence with etiquette, two left feet, and inability to look good in any dress that costs over twenty dollars?"

"She told me you were frustrated," he states simply, stepping onto the veranda and taking the seat next to her, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Gladion looks over at her, looking genuinely surprised when she continues to stare blankly out at the ocean. "Arceus, this is really bugging you, isn't it?"

Moon steals a glance at the older boy as she admits, "I've never felt so stupid in my life." She shakes her head, ranting, "Everything about this just reminds me of how out of my comfort zone this gala is going to be. I never grew up going to dinner parties or learning ballroom dancing; Lillie keeps telling me that I'll be fine, but I feel like I'm just going to embarrass myself tomorrow night." With a sigh, she looks down at the floor. "I'm going to embarrass _you_."

Gladion frowns. "That's not possible."

"Well, with my dancing it looks like I'll end up injuring you before I get the chance to be embarrassingly bad," she mumbles, looking over at the young man when he lets out a rare chuckle. Though she feels triumphant in making the stone-faced boy laugh, Moon goes back to frowning at the ocean, the problem of her being completely incompetent still eating at her mind like a Rattata.

He notes her annoyed expression, and sighs, admitting, "You know, you're not the only one who isn't suited for this."

"But you grew up with this, right?" she argues, beginning to realize that this whole ordeal has also made her incredibly self-conscious of her far humbler childhood. "Lillie talked about how you two have had all this socialite nonsense ingrained in you since birth."

He raises a brow. "Nonsense is a fitting word for it," he mumbles, before sighing and turning to look at her, almost annoyed as he explains, "Believe it or not, I've never been very social."

"Really? I can't imagine," she sarcastically drawls, and the scowl he gives her only fuels her smirk.

Gladion continues scowling as he looks back out to the ocean, his eyes focused on something she suspects is a memory. He tells her, "Sure, I have the rules and decorum down to muscle memory, but these things are never really about that. They're all about charisma, and networking, and as we've established, I'm about as social as an Absol. Now I also have the cherry on top of people wanting to avoid me if I don't actively force myself to play some sort of character."

She quirks a brow up. "I think you have your own charm," she tells him matter-of-factly, sending a blush to his cheeks that he tries desperately to hide.

"That puts you in the minority of people," he dismisses, adding with a smirk, "Although you tend to be the exception in most cases."

"Careful Gladion, that was almost a compliment."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he drawls, leaning back in the wicker chair and resting his chin in the palm of his hand, boring his intense gaze right through her. "I stand by what I said when I dragged you into this: _people like you_. As much as you deny it, you have a magnetism, and you're one of the few genuinely good people I've met in my life. I know for a fact you're going to be fine. Besides, you only agreed to this to help me, so I can't really be anything but thankful."

Her eyes widen of their own accord before becoming soft and warm as she gives him a small smile. "Thanks, Gladion."

He nods, and the two look out at the ocean, the silence between them now comfortable and helping to ease Moon.

"But if you step on my toes while dancing I'll still be annoyed."

"Fair enough."


	2. part two

**This took longer than I wanted to post so apologies, but #life stuff got in the way. This also became a lot longer than I originally intended but without further ado here's the conclusion**

* * *

Lillie and Gladion stand side by side, greeting the guests as they step into the ballroom, each with a smile on their face. In the back of his mind, the Aether president wonders if his sister is as uncomfortable in her white dress as he is in his suit; the jacket and tie are a far cry from his usual casual attire, and he fights the urge to fidget constantly with his cufflinks.

After Lillie sends the group of guests on their way, she turns to her older brother and loosens his tie, sighing, "There's no need to be nervous."

"I'm uncomfortable," he corrects her under his breath, running a hand through his neatly combed hair and disturbing the carefully constructed style, sparking a frown in Lillie. He adds, shoving his hands in the pockets of his perfectly tailored trousers, "I barely know half of the people we just talked to, and frankly, I don't particularly like most of them. I enjoy being around two people here tonight, one of whom is you and the other isn't here yet."

His sister gives him a reassuring smile as she explains, "Moon's last battle of the day ran late, but she'll be here any second."

The two turn at the sound of footsteps, and Gladion pretends his heart didn't stutter from the thought that it could be Alola's Champion approaching. Instead, it's the last of their guests, a group of businessmen from Johto looking to invest outside of their region. He smiles politely and shakes their hands, but it's Lillie who can charm them in the span of a few seconds before sending them off with a wave.

She looks up at her brother when the two are once more alone, and gives him a sly smile. "You know, you still haven't seen her in the dress we chose." Gladion hums, tapping his foot as he remains in his thoughts. Lillie goes on, a mischievous lilt in her voice, "It really suits her, and with the hair and makeup, well I'm not sure if you'll even recognize her."

He looks down at his younger sister with a raised brow. "What exactly are you trying to do right now?"

"Oh, nothing," she tells him, but sees a flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye, and her smirk grows as she turns and looks at the approaching figure, mumbling, "See for yourself."

Gladion does just that and feels his heart stop.

He recognizes her instantly, with her unmistakably confident stride and piercing gray eyes. And yet it's a version of her he's never seen, wrapped in a flowing black dress, the fabric sparkling with each step. Her black hair is twisted and pinned to her head in a dramatic updo, and her lips are a deep red. It's a version of her that feels unfamiliar to him, but that he certainly doesn't mind.

When Moon reaches them, she places a hand on her hip and sighs, "I look _ridiculous_."

"I wouldn't say that," Gladion mutters, swallowing a lump in his throat. Lillie looks ready to burst into giggles at knowing something that neither of them have caught on to.

Gray eyes give him a once-over, her cheeks a shade closer to pink as she tells him, "You don't look too shabby either."

Lillie sighs dramatically. "I wish _I_ had someone to ogle me right now."

Now the blush on Moon's face is undeniable, and Gladion manages to snap, "Invite Hau next time." His sister's eyes widen to saucers, and she opens her mouth to protest before snapping it shut with a frown, pale skin now a delicate shade of carnation. The three of them all now having suffered a blush at some point, he decides it's past time to head inside and get the thing over with, so he holds his arm out to his date and mutters, "Shall we?"

"Desperta ferres," she replies, taking his arm and setting her face in an easy, practiced smile as the two step into the ballroom, Lillie walking behind them with a knowing smile.

* * *

Gladion finds himself frowning far more than he should as he watches Moon.

She starts off well, and she proves him right in being able to make conversation with just about anyone thrown her way. A group of Silph Company executives are clearly charmed by her as they go through the cultural differences of Alola and Kanto, and she has the group laughing at her witty observations.

But there are times where subjects drift into unfamiliar waters, and she's left to politely smile and fake a laugh at experiences she doesn't understand and references she's never heard before. She leans up into his ear to whisper, "Is this what trust funds would sound like?" He chuckles and she smiles, but it's grown more tired over the course of the evening, and by the time they sit for dinner she looks ready to call it a night.

Then the off-hand remarks start coming in.

"It must be so strange to go from battling to something so formal for a Champion." Moon laughs it off. Gladion hides an eye roll.

"Did you borrow that dress? I'm not sure if it's sitting right on you." Moon blinks in surprise and manages a bland response. Gladion scowls.

"It's always a breath of fresh air when we get someone… _unconventional_ as a special guest." Moon cringes behind her plastic smile. Gladion watches her with furrowed brows and a concerned frown.

He's used to the occasional thinly veiled insult that slips through conversations of this nature; he even receives a few himself about how young he is to be Aether's president. However, she's far from accustomed and already enough out of any foreseeable comfort zone, and after several rounds of conversation they're clearly starting to wear on her. The usually calm Champion begins to fidget with her hair, the skirt of her dress, anything within reach (including the sleeve of his jacket at one point). Her eyes flicker around the room as if looking for an escape. The smile she gives to try and reassure him doesn't reach her eyes.

It's only so long before his anger flares up.

He shouldn't be making any negative comments towards the guests who paid good money to be here and are looking to further invest in his company. Instead, he communicates with his date through eye rolls and annoyed sneers, causing her to bite back giggles at the table. By the time a Kalos entrepreneur scrunches her nose at the thought of Moon going to a public school, he can't take it anymore and stands, gently guiding the Alola Champion to a corner of the dance floor.

They dance in silence for a moment, avoiding each other's gaze. Unable to prolong the inevitable for much longer, she finally looks up at him with a weak smile. "Maybe I wasn't the best date for this," she mumbles, the joke falling flat before it even leaves her mouth.

Gladion frowns, refusing to look away from her eyes as he tells her simply, "You're the best date I could have asked for and nothing a couple hard asses say changes that." He's too busy thinking back on the night to notice the growing blush on her cheeks, which is quickly accompanied by a flip of her stomach when he adds, "Honestly, everyone reasonable here is practically in love with you."

Unable to stop herself she chuckles, "And would you consider yourself reasonable?"

He mumbles something under his breath, choosing to look at something to his left rather than her as he fights the blush rising along his neck. "You must think you're clever."

"Sometimes," Moon responds simply, doing her best to not laugh at his flustered state, instead content to let their conversation fade into comfortable silence between them. She's become very aware of his hand on her hip and tries to distract herself by listening to the delicate music of the string quartet, her eyes roaming over the priceless decorations of the ballroom.

Following her cue, Gladion lets his gaze drift to looking over the room, over the other couples swaying on the floor around them. He spots Lillie off to the side, speaking to a waiter with a smile, and then as if sensing her brother watching her, she turns and catches his eye. She sees him dancing and her smile only widens, and he can't help but admit that it's nice to know she really does appreciate him being here.

"You know, I haven't broken your leg yet."

He blinks, glancing down at her lopsided smile and finding that she's right. "Don't jinx it," he mumbles, adding with a sigh, "We still have at least another hour."

"Seriously?" she gasps, her mouth falling open.

With a chuckle, he explains, "I mean, _technically_ , I should be here until the end of the night, considering I'm helping host the event."

"So call it a night and have everyone go home. Really abuse your power."

He's about to retort, but he can see the tired light creeping back in her eyes, the slump in her shoulders that tells him she's treading water for his sake. With a glance to make sure Lillie is distracted and no guests are looking their way, he gives her a smirk. "I have a better idea."

* * *

His "better idea" raises a few questions in her mind, and certainly raises her brow.

"This staircase seems off-limits," Moon whispers, as if authorities are waiting to ambush them around the corner. The floor-length gown only makes her feel more conspicuous, and she finds herself glancing over her shoulder.

Rather than respond directly, Gladion continues his work on the lock, the two pieces he snapped her bobby pin into far trickier to work with than his old equipment. "It's just roof access," he tells her, trying not to grind his teeth as the lock continues to give him trouble.

She notices. "Need a hand, former thug?"

"Since when do you know how to do this?"

"Scoot." He does as she commands, handing over the broken bobby pin still within the lock, and she crouches, careful with the fabric of her dress as she focuses on her work, biting her lip in concentration. Gladion decides to focus his attention on undoing his tie to avoid staring at her and realizing that she's barely a breath away.

After his tie is hanging loosely around his neck and the top button of his shirt is open to let him breath easy, a satisfying click rings out from the lock and she smirks, removing her broken bobby pin and standing. He follows suit, and watches slack-jawed as she turns the handle and opens the door, handing him the remains of her bobby pin as she purrs, "There we go."

Moon heads into the stairwell, leaving him to gape before shaking himself of his stupor and shoving the two twigs of metal into the pocket of his pants. He follows, quickly catching up to her as the Champion holds her heels in one hand but still struggles to climb the stairs in a floor-length gown. Holding an arm out to her that she gratefully accepts, he tells her, "You didn't answer my question."

"I forget my house key a lot," she admits, keeping her eyes focused on the stairs in front of her.

"So instead of remembering to take your key," he mumbles, a brow raised, "You learned how to pick locks?"

She shrugs her shoulders and gives him a sheepish grin. "It seemed reasonable at the time?"

Gladion shakes his head with a chuckle as they finish another flight of stairs. "You're ridiculous."

" _You're_ the one who wanted to trespass and go to the roof," she accuses, pointing at his chest and feeling risky enough to take her eyes off of her feet to look at him with a smirk. "So what does that make you?"

He considers it for a moment: sneaking away from a gala that annoys him with a girl he can't imagine his life without and that he can't take his eyes off of.

"Probably an idiot."

* * *

She's absolutely silent for over a minute, mouth open and eyes as wide as her smile while she takes in the impossible number of constellations shining above them.

He just watches her with a hint of a smile, hands in his pockets. With the sparkling black fabric of her dress, she nearly melts into the night sky herself, replacing the crescent moon that peeks over the rolling hills. As he becomes aware that his thoughts are drifting into uncharted territory, the kind that usually makes him tear his eyes away from her and scowl, Gladion lets them wander, giving up his fight to pretend.

Moon finally lets out a stunned laugh, turning to look at him with a sparkle in her eyes. "How did you find out about this?" she asks him, unable to keep her gaze from flitting back to the stars surrounding them.

"I helped Lillie pick the venue," he explains simply, "Though I wasn't sure how the view up here would be at night."

She nods, walking towards him to lean against the wall, dropping her heels at her side unceremoniously. With a hesitant start, she looks at him with a mysterious smile as she tells him, "Well, I can't make out much of the city, but what I can see is absolutely amazing."

He holds her gaze, gears turning before he straightens, holding a hand out to her. She raises a brow, about to question him when he asks, "Would you like to dance?"

There's no music. They're on a roof. She hates dancing. There are a thousand more reasons why this is a stupid decision, and Gladion only realizes them after the question has escaped him. Maybe he should backtrack, brush it off, but instead he just watches her consider.

Then, with a smile, she accepts his hand.

"Still hoping I'll break your leg?"

"Something like that."

It's a bit of an awkward stumble at first, as they quickly realize having no music means there's no beat to guide them. Moon laughs as she looks down at her bare feet, getting her bearings before they settle into a comfortable sway. Now confident that she won't trip both of them, she looks up and feels her heart stop as her gaze meets his eyes. Something in the air between them has shifted, whether it's the isolation or the stars or the realization of the extent of her feelings for the Aether President, she isn't entirely sure.

(But if she's going to stop kidding herself, it's the latter.)

With nothing to distract her from the warmth growing in her stomach, she decides to joke, "Well, tonight's been informative. Now a simple girl like me knows how the other half lives, and you rich folk sure are impressive."

He rolls his eyes. "Slow down there Thoroughly Modern Millie." She chuckles, and tries not to slowly step closer to him as they sway. She fails, and he's not helping in her endeavor. Gladion feels himself growing nervous, and so before he can talk himself out of it, he says, "I want to thank you again for agreeing to this."

"Any reasonable person would kill to be your date," she replies flippantly.

His smirk sends a not-entirely-unpleasant sinking feeling through her as he drawls, "And would you consider yourself _reasonable_?"

 _Caught in my own trap._

But when his hand squeezes hers, she realizes there's no point skirting around the subject for much longer. Really, she was doomed the second she agreed to this, and now she's diving headfirst into danger.

 _What else is new?_

"I'd consider myself as reasonable as you," she retorts, almost wishing she still had her heels on so their height difference could be less noticeable. She makes up for it with a confident purr, looking up at him with a coy smile. "So you tell me."

He realizes now that at some point they've stopped dancing, and are instead simply standing with their arms around each other. His pulse quickens. There's a new record of seven regrettable decisions he could make floating around in his head; he bites the bullet and picks the best.

"I'm actually pretty stupid."

She blinks. "O-oh?" she stammers, and she's gone from on top of the world to ready to bash her head against the wall, wondering just how she's managed to misread the signs so spectacularly.

But he continues, a rosy pink crawling up his neck and cheeks, "Well, I didn't realize how I felt about you until tonight, when even an idiot could have figured it out by now."

For the second time tonight, Moon is absolutely speechless.

"… _oh_."

Gladion can't read her face, and now he knows exactly what it feels like to wonder if he's misread every signal and should just repeatedly hit his head against a wall. The gears are turning in her head, and her stomach is on a rollercoaster as she tries desperately to hold onto any complete thought that hasn't been drowned out by her heartbeat in her ears. Every nerve is at attention and her fight-or-flight instinct has kicked in, but she's always stood her ground before, and she's not about to start running.

"Well," she starts, swallowing the lump in her throat, "I _would_ say that makes you an idiot, but I think I'm about to steal that title from you with what I'm about to do."

"What exactly –"

She kisses him. Her hands are on his shoulders and his naturally go to her hips and everything about tonight finally feels right. When her lips leave his, she has a timid lopsided smile and he has a stunned grin.

"I guess we're both idiots."


End file.
